Flatland pocket rats

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Flatland pocket rats
Texas pocket rat (Geomys personatus)

Texas pocket rat ( Geomys personatus )

Systematics
Subclass : Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate : Euarchontoglires
Order : Rodents (Rodentia)
Superfamily : Pocket rodents (Geomyoidea)
Family : Pocket rats (Geomyidae)
Genre : Flatland pocket rats
Scientific name
Geomys
Rafinesque , 1817

The lowland pocket rats ( Geomys ) are a genus of twelve species of burrowing rodents from the family of pocket rats (Geomyidae). Flatland pocket rats are native to the prairie areas of North America between northeast Mexico across the Great Plains and the Midwest in the United States to southern Canada .

features

The species reach a head-body length of 13 to 24 cm and a tail length of 5 to 13 cm. The weight is between 300 and 450 g. The color of the fur on the back can vary between black and light brown, the underside is usually lighter. Flatland pocket rats have strong, clawed paws that they use to dig in the ground.

Way of life

The tunnel systems of the lowland pocket rats have corridors up to 30 m long which are usually 10 to 20 cm below the surface of the earth. They rarely reach up to 100 cm deep. In every building there is at least one chamber that is upholstered with plant parts. The rodents stay mainly in these burrows and do not hibernate .

Roots and tubers as well as occasional green parts of plants serve as food . The fluid requirement is covered almost exclusively by food.

Outside the mating season, each specimen lives alone. Depending on the area of ​​distribution, reproduction takes place between March and May or a little later. In some regions, females have two litters a year. The length of gestation has not been fully researched; the figures vary between 18 and 52 days. Usually 3 or 4 young are born per litter, the total number can vary between 1 and 8. The young are blind at birth and open their eyes after about three weeks. One or two weeks later, they are no longer suckled and four to six months after they are born, the pups reach sexual maturity . In human care, lowland pocket rats can live a little over seven years.

Systematics

The relationships between Geomys have not been fully phylogenetically clarified, in 2016 the following species were described:

Threat and protection

Some farmers consider lowland pocket rats to be harmful to potatoes and other root vegetables. On the other hand, the rodents contribute to the formation of a nutrient-rich soil layer.

The species react differently to changes in the landscape. The IUCN lists Geomys tropicalis as critically endangered and Geomys arenarius in the early warning list ( near threatened ). The other species are not considered to be endangered ( least concern ).

Reference literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George A. Feldhamer, Bruce C. Thompson, Joseph A. Chapman (Eds.): Wild Mammals of North America. Biology, Management, and Conservation. 2nd edition, revised. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore et al. MD 2003, ISBN 0-8018-7416-5 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Volume 2. 6th edition. 1999, pp. 1312-1314, Google books .
  3. ↑ AV Linzey, G. Hammerson Geomys bursarius in the Red List of Endangered Species , 2008; Retrieved January 28, 2010
  4. ↑ Mark Hafner: Family Geomyidae (Pocket gophers). In: Don Ellis Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 6: Lagomorphs and Rodents 1 Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4 , pp. 257-261
  5. ↑ Geomys in the IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Accessed April 26, 2013.

Web links

Commons : Geomys  - collection of images, videos and audio files